Whether you’re standing in a bus queue or guarding Buckingham Palace – there’s a right and a wrong way to position every part of your body.

So, here’s the right way to stand, from ‘top to toe’…

Your head: should be facing forwards. As with sitting, your neck muscles are only perfectly balanced when you’re holding your head straight. It is good, however, to roll your neck at intervals in order to stretch and warm the neck muscles. This keeps them flexible and stops them from seizing up.

Your shoulders: should be back and relaxed down. Rolling them forwards and ‘slouching’ when standing, rounds that lovely natural curve in your spine. This puts pressure on your disks, can cause nerve damage, and it will certainly lead to lower back pain.

Your chest: should be ‘open’ (so, shoulder back!). You will get tired more quickly if your breath is restricted; don’t underestimate the effort required simply to stand.

Your hips: should be facing forwards and be in line with your shoulders and heels. Your hips are a sturdy, mid-way, centre of balance. As with your neck, you can roll your hips at intervals in order to stretch and warm the muscles.

Your feet: should be shoulder width apart to form a wide, sturdy base. If your legs get tired when standing for a long time, move one foot slightly behind the other and shift your weight onto the back foot. Alternate to rest each leg in turn.

The NHS says that in any given year, at least one in five people in the UK visit their GP because of back pain. Shocked? Maybe you shouldn’t be. Have a little read of this.

Of course posture is huge factor in the development of spinal problems, but what about other contributors – like stress.

Stress is more than just a tight deadline or demanding boss – it’s a physical change in your body. Those who are more stressed are more susceptible to heart problems, ulcers, addiction and the list goes on. But what about back pain?

When you’re stressed your brain tells your body just how stressed you are and hormonal reactions result in the release of lactic acid. A person who is constantly under a lot of stress would have this reaction occurring daily, and the more stressed they become; the more lactic acid builds up.

The result of this is the stiffening of the muscles, especially the ones used most frequently – such as those supporting your spine.

The Spinal Touch technique is great at reversing these effects because it re-stimulates the muscles to ‘wake them back up’. Unfortunately, leaving it will just allow the situation to get worse.

Ensure that these muscles are being activated by doing the short exercises in on my DVD. This is a sure way to prevent stress induced back pain:

This is my second installment of essential tips to help you prevent back pain by correcting your posture.

As we know, more than half of chronic back pains are resulted by a poor posture. Try doing these exercises as often as you can, every time you are in front of a mirror, every hour, long enough till it becomes a new habit.

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10. Watch yourself in a mirror from the side, your ear should be above your shoulder girdle, is it there? Hold it for 10 seconds and relax

11. How’s the curve on your back when watching yourself from the side? Keep a natural curve on your lower back, hold it for 10 seconds and relax

12. Stand up straight in front of a mirror, keep your knees soft and facing forward, hold it there for 10 seconds and relax.

13. Stand up with feet open to the width of your shoulders to give yourself a wide base of support against the force of gravity.

14. When standing prolonged, make sure your shoulders and hips are in line with each other and your feet are open.

15. Keep your feet open to the width of your shoulders and slightly back and forward to give you the maximum support in standing.

16. Try to avoid leaning to one side when standing prolonged, stand up straight with your shoulders back.

17. When getting tired in standing prolonged, rest one foot on a step or stool and change leg after a while.

18. When standing with one foot on a step/stool, make sure your hips are level and you are not dropping one hip.

These simple exercises are to be performed on a regular basis to help to register your new posture in your memory – look out for our third and final instalment of essential tips to prevent back pain, I’ll post them soon.